Wrong Direction

Chapter 27: Those Stairs

"Oh yeah sure," I chimed sarcastically. "And maybe in between songs I could give you a few encouraging slaps to wake you up from your dreams."

I mocked him by crossing my arms.

He waggled his eyebrows at me and licked his lips - I pretended to throw up. He just smirked. "What's with the outfit anyway?" He looked me up and down.

"Oh, don't you like it?" I asked sarcastically.

"You just wanted to look like me, didn't you." It wasn't a question and I hoped that he was joking or his head might just explode.

"Harry?" An official-looking lady cut in as she stood on the stairs, pressing her earpiece into her ear. She looked like she'd been running. "Harry we need you at M and G, now."

Harry turned away from her, looking completely unexcited. "Yeah... I'm coming."

The lady pressed her lips together, obviously wanting to say more but decided not to, disappearing back down the stairs.

"Harry Styles is needed." I waved my hands in the air like a delusive fan when I said his name, before raising an eyebrow at him. "I'm surprised you're not running to your fans to lap up the love."

"You've always thought I'm like that, haven't you," he stated rather than asked as he jumped off the speaker. I stepped back in surprise. "Only caring about the fame. Even after this whole week - you still think that?"

Had I actually offended him? "Err... Well-"

"It doesn't matter," he cut me off as he turned away from me. "Enjoy the show." He called as he made his way down the stairs.

Well, fuck. Now I felt bad.

"Harry! Wait!" I ran half-way down the stairs and paused when I saw him stopped at the bottom, his back to me.

I saw his shoulders rise slightly as he took a deep breath before turning around. He waited for me to speak.

"I'm sorry," I began, shying away from his piercing green gaze as he looked up at me. "I only meant..."

"What you said." He finished my sentence for me. "It's fine, you've always thought that - It's my fault for thinking that you'd changed your opinion about me."

"Wait," I said as he turned to leave again. He paused, letting out a huge sigh as if completely bored. "Can I at least explain?"

He raised his eyebrows expectantly, leaning on the railing as he glanced around at the hustle and bustle of the back stage workers.

"It's just... With all these screaming Directioners around, I think of you as your superstar image..." I took a deep breath. "Not the guy that I've been hanging out with this week."

He blinked a few times, as if trying to process the logic of my retarded mind. I'd seen so many sides of him this week that it was crazy to think that this arrogoant playboy was the same person.

He slowly came up the stairs until he was on the step just below me. Our eyes were level, and he was literally only inches away. His rose scent engufed my mind as I breathed in.

"So, let me get this straight." He frowned, placing both hands on the railings either side of me so I had no escape but up. "In your eyes, I'm either a fame-loving playboy superstar-jerk..."

I bit my lip, that was exactly what I thought.

"Or a charming hot chivalrous-ordinary nice guy with a great smile?" He flashed his perfect white teeth.